Add tagging at least at the ad-level to tracking performance (this can be done using the Google Analytics URL builder)

Cross-pollinate keywords by running search query reports (SQR) for both Adwords and adCenter campaigns and ensuring the top performing keywords in both accounts are present in the other. Any keywords that are:

Similar – are very important! This shows both search engines find a keyword relevant for the campaign

Different – represent opportunities to cross-pollinate. If a keyword works in one search engine, it may be just as successful in the other

Negative – consider these keywords a way of fine-tune both adCenter and Adwords

Segment campaigns by device – do not target all devices using the same keywords and messaging

Segment by network: Joseph advocated using the search network and content network, but paying close attention to performance on the search partner network,

Consider budgeting options – recommended setting a daily budget as opposed to a monthly budget with the accelerated delivery option selected. If the budget runs out early, advertisers can customize delivery through ad scheduling

Allan Chuate described the “Ad Serving” logic behind adCenter as involving three elements:

Click-through-rate (CTR) Threshold

Minimum Bidding

Landing Page Relevance

He also advised against launch new terms in ad groups or campaigns with high search volume but low quality score. He also warned against using bid management tools until pricing and positioning have had enough data to normalize.

Ping Jen took the opportunity to answer some commonly asked questions when it came to campaign performance on adCenter:

If a Quality Score (QS) changes without changes being made by the advertiser, it’s generally because competition is further optimizing their own campaigns

Advertisers should focus on keywords with high quality scores but with low aggregated QS to see if they can be optimized

Similarly, advertisers should focus on low QS keywords with high aggregated QS to see if they should be changed/removed